UBUNTU FOR ANDROID ANNOUNCED

Today Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu Project officially announced the launch of “Ubuntu for Android” software, that will bring the popular linux-based operating system ubuntu to dual core Android phones.This is possible because both Ubuntu and Android will share the same kernel.

This isn’t the “Ubuntu Phone” or ubuntu Android emulator,here the phone experience is pure Android.Ubuntu for Android is an addon, that brings full Ubuntu desktop running side-by-side with Android on a shared kernel that provides access to all your content.

Ubuntu and Android share the same kernel. When docked, the Ubuntu OS boots and runs concurrently with Android. This allows both mobile and desktop functionality to co-exist in different runtimes.

When you are out of this mode, your phone works just like a normal Android phone.Also You don’t need to duplicate your address book, or even synchronize it, all your data and services stay consistent between the Ubuntu and Android environments, including contacts, SMS, and voice calls.

“The processors at the heart of smartphones are approaching the power of low-end laptop processors, so we use the horsepower to power a desktop experience,” said Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth. “If you link your phone to a computer monitor and keyboard, then the phone can drive a full desktop session.”

“We are depending on the fact that Android and Ubuntu are both Linux,” Shuttleworth said. When the phone is docked, the kernel starts a number of additional processes that provide the desktop functionality. Canonical did a lot of work to bridge the Ubuntu processes and Android processes, allowing data to be copied easily between the two. “The two sets of processes are talking with each other through this bridge,” he said.

Ubuntu for Android gives mobile users a compelling reason to upgrade to multi-core handsets with more RAM, more storage, faster GPUs and CPUs. It’s not just a phone they are buying, it’s a desktop too. So Why carry two devices, when you could carry only one.When you need a desktop, you connect up to a screen and a keyboard. When you need a tablet, you dock to some very elegant glass.

Ubuntu for Android addon Hardware Requirements :

The hardware requirements are straightforward and, with a broad range of ARM and x86 hardware supported, it can be added to phones already in development.Ubuntu for Android will work on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or Android 4.0.

Dual-core smart phone with at least a 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM.

Check below video demoing the Ubuntu for Android addon:

When the addon will be available ?

Ubuntu for android addon is in development and canonical still needs to finish some vital elements of the software.The addon is scheduled to be released in Q2 2012. Next week at Mobile World Congress (MWC)2012 event in Barcelona,Canonical will demo Ubuntu for Android addon.

Proceed to read on for Canonical’s press release. [showhide type=”pressrelease”]

Ubuntu for Android at MWC – world’s first full-featured desktop on a docked smartphone

Carry less, do a lot more. All the productivity and apps of the full Ubuntu desktop, built into your Android phone.

London, 22nd February, 2012: Canonical today unveiled Ubuntu for Android, bringing the world’s favourite free desktop experience to multi-core Android smartphones docked with a keyboard and monitor. Use Android on the phone and Ubuntu as your desktop, both running simultaneously on the same device, with seamless sharing of contacts, messages and other common services.

The phone experience is pure Android – it’s a normal Android phone. When the device is connected to a computer screen, however, it launches a full Ubuntu desktop on the computer display. It’s exactly the same desktop used by millions of enterprise and home users on their Ubuntu PCs, and includes hundreds of certified applications, from office productivity to photography, video and music.

All data and services are shared between the Ubuntu and Android environments, which run simultaneously on the device. So Android applications such as contacts, telephony and SMS/MMS messaging are accessible from the Ubuntu interface. Indeed, all data on the smartphone can be accessed at any time, docked or not.

Ubuntu for Android gives mobile workers a company phone that is also their enterprise desktop. Government and private institutions have embraced Ubuntu on the desktop because of its ease of use, security, manageability, superb range of native applications and excellent support for web browsers like Chrome and Firefox. The desktop can also include Windows applications, using thin client and desktop virtualisation tools. Today’s IT departments commonly support a PC and at least one desktop phone for every employee. Many also provide and manage mobile phones. Ubuntu for Android presents a compelling solution to IT complexity by reducing that burden to a single device.

The first PC for the next billion knowledge workers could be a phone – but they won’t just want to use it as a handset. They will want all the flexibility and productivity of a full desktop, as well as the convenience of a smartphone on the move. Ubuntu for Android represents the first opportunity for handset makers and network operators to address this growth opportunity in emerging markets.

Manufacturers targeting the corporate phone, as well as the next-generation enterprise desktop and thin clients can easily add Ubuntu for Android to their smartphones. The customized version of Ubuntu drops in cleanly alongside the rest of Android, and the necessary Android modifications are designed for easy integration. Hardware requirements include support for HDMI and USB, standard features in high-end handsets planned for late 2012.

Ubuntu for Android justifies the cost to enterprise customers of upgrading to higher bandwidth 4G connections and contracts. Cloud apps like Google Docs work best with a full desktop, and shine with the lower latency of LTE. Network operators can deliver their own branded applications and services as part of the Ubuntu desktop, in partnership with Canonical.

Canonical leads the traditional Linux ecosystem in support for the ARM architecture, having co-founded Linaro (linaro.org), the consortium dedicated to the unification of Linux on ARM and the simplification of Android integration and delivery. That industrial experience, combined with Canonical’s long-standing leadership in desktop Linux and deep relationships with global PC brands enables Canonical to deliver an ARM-optimised desktop tightly integrated with Android, on silicon from a range of ARM vendors. [/showhide]

About The Author

Ramakanth

Ramakanth is lead writer & one of the Founder of Techno360. He covers security, freebies, web-browsers,Windows OS and a variety of other subjects. He earned his degree at Anna university,worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing at Techno360 since 2008.